A study has found that middle-class families are paying a £10,000 “stealth tax” as they look for places in care homes for the elderly. In the first ever detailed report about care home fees, it has found this £10,000 is being used to subsidise residents who can't pay themselves and reply on the local councils funding.
It is estimated some 400,000 senior citizens live in care homes with half of them paying themselves, either through their savings or by selling their family home. People with more than £23,000 they must “self-fund” their stay. Charity Age UK found residents pay weekly bills averaging £603 and £867 depending on the area. In the south-east, those bills run up to £1000 per week which is £200 a week more than what local councils pay. This compared to £40 a week four years ago.
Campaigners said it is unfair that people who have saved for retirement were made to pay not just for themselves but for others also.
